On May 23, 2018, as of 2:15 PM, northbound Interstate 81 at mile-marker 50 is completely closed as a result of a motor vehicle collision. The crash itself is being investigated by the Tennessee Highway Patrol, so all inquiries regarding the crash should be directed to that agency.

The Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) is in the process of setting up detours; therefore, any inquiries regarding the status of road closures and detours should be directed to that agency.

Motorists should make every possible effort to plan an alternate route and avoid the area, so as to avoid unnecessary congestion and delays. Anyone already in the area is asked to obey all traffic instructions, exercise caution and patience, and drive with a heightened sense of awareness.

On May 5, 2018 at approximately 3:15 AM, an unidentified suspect burglarized Transmission World, located at 2530 Fort Henry Drive in Kingsport. The suspect stole five tool sets with an estimated total value of $5,000. The suspect then fled the scene in a white 2-door coupe with a sunroof.

Images of the suspect and his vehicle, taken from surveillance video footage, have been included in this release. A clip of the actual footage has also been made available for viewing via the link below:

Anyone who recognizes either the suspect or his vehicle is asked to contact the K.P.D. Criminal Investigations Division at 423-229-9429 or call Kingsport Central Dispatch at 423-246-9111.

Alternatively, if an individual who is able to supply information related to this or any other case wishes not to be identified, tips can be submitted anonymously via online “Citizen Feedback” forms available at the following link:

As summer kicks off and families hit the road for vacation, the Kingsport Police Department is partnering with the Tennessee Highway Safety Office (THSO) to remind motorists to “Click It or Ticket.” From May 21 to June 3, 2018 participating agencies across the state will increase seat belt enforcement as part of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) nationwide mobilization.

Buckling up is such a simple task that can keep you and your family safe in the car, but it is so much more than that. Buckling up is the law. Law enforcement, and other first responders, see the consequences of not buckling up firsthand. We see the loss of life. Often, it could have been prevented with the simple click of a seat belt. It should be automatic.

According to Tennessee’s Integrated Traffic Analysis Network (TITAN), 315 people killed in Tennessee traffic crashes last year were not wearing a seat belt. This represents approximately 30 percent of the state’s total traffic fatalities in 2017.

According to the NHTSA, nearly half (48 percent) of the passenger vehicle occupants killed in crashes in 2016 were unrestrained. At night from 6:00 PM to 6:00 AM, that number soared to 56 percent of those killed. That is why one focus of the “Click It or Ticket” campaign is nighttime enforcement. Participating law enforcement agencies will be taking a no-excuses approach to seat belt law enforcement, writing citations day and night.

Public Invited to Annual Law Enforcement Memorial Service at the Kingsport Police Department (Reminder)

DATE:

May 14, 2018

GENERAL NARRATIVE

Reminder: The Law Enforcement Memorial Service will be held this afternoon, Monday, May 14, 2018 at 4:00 PM at the Kingsport Police Department Law Enforcement Memorial and Eternal Flame, located on the corner of West Market and Clay Streets in Downtown Kingsport.

As previously released:

In 1962, President John F. Kennedy proclaimed May 15th as National Peace Officers Memorial Day and the calendar week in which May 15th falls, as National Police Week. Established by a joint resolution of Congress in 1962, National Police Week pays special recognition to those law enforcement officers who have lost their lives in the line of duty for the safety and protection of others.

Traditionally, the local Fraternal Order of Police (F.O.P.) Burgess-Mills Lodge #11 conducts a Law Enforcement Memorial Service at the Kingsport Justice Center during National Police Week.

The service this year will be held this coming Monday, May 14, 2018 at 4:00 PM at the Kingsport Police Department Law Enforcement Memorial and Eternal Flame, located on the corner of West Market and Clay Streets in Downtown Kingsport. As always, the department extends an open invitation to anyone who would like to join us as we remember and honor our local fallen officers, as well as all fallen officers throughout the nation.

State Representative John Crawford, of the Tennessee General Assembly House of Representatives, will serve as the keynote speaker. Representative Crawford is a lifelong advocate of law enforcement with nearly two decades of service as a Reserve Officer with the Kingsport Police Department, the Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office, and the Hawkins County Sheriff’s Office.

The local Fraternal Order of Police (F.O.P.) Burgess-Mills Lodge #11 is named in honor of two of the Kingsport Police Department’s Fallen Officers, Patrolman Ira H. Burgess and Patrolman John E. Mills, who were tragically shot and killed in the line of duty in 1950 and 1940 respectively. Information regarding these and all of K.P.D.’s Fallen Officers can be found in the following link:

The following inscription is found on the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington D.C.

“This Memorial is dedicated to all Law Enforcement Officers in the United States of America. Inscribed on these walls are the names of those men and women who died in the line of duty. It is not how these officers died that made them heroes. It is how they lived.”

Links to the National Police Week website, the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund website, and the Officer Down Memorial Page are provided below:

Public Invited to Annual Law Enforcement Memorial Service at the Kingsport Police Department

DATE:

May 10, 2018

GENERAL NARRATIVE

In 1962, President John F. Kennedy proclaimed May 15th as National Peace Officers Memorial Day and the calendar week in which May 15th falls, as National Police Week. Established by a joint resolution of Congress in 1962, National Police Week pays special recognition to those law enforcement officers who have lost their lives in the line of duty for the safety and protection of others.

Traditionally, the local Fraternal Order of Police (F.O.P.) Burgess-Mills Lodge #11 conducts a Law Enforcement Memorial Service at the Kingsport Justice Center during National Police Week.

The service this year will be held this coming Monday, May 14, 2018 at 4:00 PM at the Kingsport Police Department Law Enforcement Memorial and Eternal Flame, located on the corner of West Market and Clay Streets in Downtown Kingsport. As always, the department extends an open invitation to anyone who would like to join us as we remember and honor our local fallen officers, as well as all fallen officers throughout the nation.

State Representative John Crawford, of the Tennessee General Assembly House of Representatives, will serve as the keynote speaker. Representative Crawford is a lifelong advocate of law enforcement with nearly two decades of service as a Reserve Officer with the Kingsport Police Department, the Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office, and the Hawkins County Sheriff’s Office.

The local Fraternal Order of Police (F.O.P.) Burgess-Mills Lodge #11 is named in honor of two of the Kingsport Police Department’s Fallen Officers, Patrolman Ira H. Burgess and Patrolman John E. Mills, who were tragically shot and killed in the line of duty in 1950 and 1940 respectively. Information regarding these and all of K.P.D.’s Fallen Officers can be found in the following link:

The following inscription is found on the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington D.C.

“This Memorial is dedicated to all Law Enforcement Officers in the United States of America. Inscribed on these walls are the names of those men and women who died in the line of duty. It is not how these officers died that made them heroes. It is how they lived.”

Links to the National Police Week website, the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund website, and the Officer Down Memorial Page are provided below:

For the next few weeks, the Kingsport Police Department will be conducting a citizen survey as part of the accreditation process. K.P.D. is internationally accredited through the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA).

K.P.D. was first accredited through CALEA in 1992. The department has maintained accreditation now for over 25 consecutive years, being reaccredited in 1997, 2002, 2005, 2008, 2011, 2014, and 2017. The benefits of CALEA accreditation include greater accountability within the agency, reduced risk and liability exposure, stronger defense against civil litigation, staunch support from government officials, and increased community advocacy.

CALEA requires that an accredited agency must be in compliance with nearly 500 individual professional standards. One such standard requires that the agency conduct a documented survey of citizen attitudes and opinions at least once every two (2) years.

The survey is designed to be used as a platform for organizational learning, asking specific questions about the quality of policing in the community. The survey questions are constructed so as to gauge citizen feedback with respect to:

1) Overall agency performance,

2) Overall competence of agency employees,

3) Citizens’ perception of officers’ attitudes and behavior,

4) Community concern over safety and security within the agency’s service area, and

This news release has been reissued to reflect the correct date of May 16, 2018 for the seatbelt checkpoint.

On May 16, 2018 at an undisclosed period of time and location within the city limits of Kingsport, the Kingsport Police Department will be emphasizing our seatbelt education and enforcement activities through a seatbelt checkpoint. The ultimate goal of this effort is to reduce injuries and save lives in motor vehicle collisions that inevitably occur.

In the State of Tennessee, a violation of the seatbelt law is considered a primary offense, meaning that if an officer observes a motorist not wearing a seatbelt, or a child not properly restrained in a child passenger safety seat, the officer may stop and cite the motorist for the seatbelt or child passenger safety seat violation without observing any other criminal or traffic offenses.

Occupant protection laws apply not just to the driver, and not just to the front seat, but to every individual in the automobile. At the age of 16, a passenger assumes personal responsibility for the wearing of their seatbelt and would receive their own citation for not wearing one; however, the driver would be cited for each passenger under the age of 16 who is not properly restrained.

Wearing a seatbelt can easily make the difference in a motorist being seriously injured or killed in a crash versus walking away from the crash with minor injuries or no injuries whatsoever. The Kingsport Police Department encourages ALL occupants of ALL motor vehicles to wear their seatbelt ALL of the time. It is the law, but more importantly, it might just save your life.

On April 28, 2018 at approximately 1:15 PM, Kingsport Police Patrol Officers responded to a motor vehicle collision in the roadway in front of the Sunoco gas station and convenience store, located at 4001 Memorial Boulevard in Kingsport. Responding Officers determined that the crash involved a passenger car and a motorcycle and had resulted in a fatality.

Crash Investigators from the K.P.D. Traffic Unit responded to the scene and conducted a thorough reconstruction analysis of the collision. The results of their investigation are as follows:

A white 1996 Buick Park Avenue 4-door sedan, driven by Mabel L. Leeper, was eastbound on Memorial Boulevard and attempting a left turn to Glenwood Street. Meanwhile, a black 1998 Harley-Davidson motorcycle, operated by Ronald L. Burke, was westbound on Memorial Boulevard approaching the same intersection.

Ms. Leeper failed to yield the right-of way and turned into the path of Mr. Burke’s motorcycle. Mr. Burke was killed in the subsequent collision. Ms. Leeper sustained possible injuries and was transported to a local healthcare facility by Sullivan County E.M.S. for a precautionary medical evaluation.

This crash remains under active investigation by the K.P.D. Traffic Unit with charges pending. As such, no additional details can or will be released at this time.

As previously released:

On April 28, 2018 at approximately 1:15 PM, Kingsport Police Patrol Officers responded to a motor vehicle collision in the roadway in front of the Sunoco gas station and convenience store, located at 4001 Memorial Boulevard in Kingsport. Responding Officers determined that the crash involved a passenger car and a motorcycle and had resulted in a fatality.

Crash Investigators from the K.P.D. Traffic Unit have responded to the scene and are in the process of a thorough reconstruction analysis of the collision. While no additional details are available at this time, further information regarding this incident will be released at an appropriate point, pending the completion of the investigation and notification of next of kin.

Traffic is still flowing along Memorial Boulevard; however, it is periodically becoming congested. For the time being, motorists are encouraged to avoid the area and plan an alternate route so as to avoid unnecessary delays. Motorists already in the immediate area are encouraged to be alert, exercise caution and patience, and obey all traffic instructions.

On Saturday, April 28, 2018 from 10:00 AM until 2:00 PM, the Kingsport Police Department partnered with the United Way of Greater Kingsport and the Sullivan County Anti-Drug Coalition to hold a local medication take-back initiative in recognition of the United States Department of Justice Drug Enforcement Administration National Drug Take-Back Day.

Thanks in large part to the numerous community partners who helped facilitate this event, coupled with a significant response from the public, this local drug take-back initiative was extremely successful and yielded impressive results. By the close of the day’s events, the collected medications weighed approximately 780 pounds and filled a total of thirteen 30-gallon drums.

In keeping with the ultimate goals of this program of keeping drugs off the street, preventing overdoses and accidental poisonings, and avoiding environmental contamination, these leftover, unwanted, and/or expired medications are now headed for incineration.

The next National Drug Take-Back Day is scheduled for October 2018. In the meantime, citizens are encouraged to remember that at the Kingsport Police Department, we like to think of every day as drug take-back day. There is a permanent drug collection box in the lobby of the Kingsport Justice Center, located at 200 Shelby Street in Downtown Kingsport, that is accessible 24 hours-a-day, 7 days-a-week, 365 days-a-year.

As previously released:

On Saturday, April 28, 2018 from 10:00 AM until 2:00 PM, the Kingsport Police Department will be participating in a community drug take-back event. This event will take place in the parking lot of the V.O. Dobbins Complex, located at 301 Louis Street, in the Riverview neighborhood of Kingsport.

This event is sponsored by the United Way of Greater Kingsport, the Kingsport Police Department, and the Sullivan County Anti-Drug Coalition. The event will also include a Community Resource Fair with participation from the Sullivan County Health Department, New Vision Youth, Central Baptist Church, Shiloh Baptist Church, Upper East Tennessee Human Development, South Central Kingsport Neighborhood Redevelopment, and the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Kingsport.

Between now and Saturday, April 28th, all area residents are encouraged to go through their medicine cabinets and inventory their medications. This community drug take-back event is open to the public and is a prime opportunity and the preferred method to safely dispose of any medications that are no longer needed.

The U.S. Department of Justice Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) sponsors two National Prescription Drug Take-Back Days each year, in April and October. National Prescription Drug Take Back Days aim to provide a safe, convenient, and responsible means of disposing of prescription drugs, while also educating the general public about the potential for abuse of medications.

While the DEA does recognize these two annual days, at the Kingsport Police Department, we like to think of every day as Take-Back Day. K.P.D. has been participating in drug take-back initiatives since 2010 and installed a permanent drug collection box in the lobby of the Kingsport Justice Center, located at 200 Shelby Street in Downtown Kingsport, in 2012. Our box is accessible 24 hours-a-day, 7 days-a-week, 365 days-a-year. To date, K.P.D. has been able to safely incinerate over 10,000 pounds (5 tons) of leftover, unwanted, or expired medications.

The goals of this program are to keep drugs off the street, prevent overdoses and accidental poisonings, and avoid environmental contamination. Drugs that can be accepted include prescription, over the counter (OTC), vitamins, herbals, supplements, and veterinary medications. Items that are preferably not accepted through this program include needles or sharps, biohazard materials, and illegal drugs.

For more information on the DEA’s National Take-Back Day initiative, please visit the following links:

On April 28, 2018 at approximately 1:15 PM, Kingsport Police Patrol Officers responded to a motor vehicle collision in the roadway in front of the Sunoco gas station and convenience store, located at 4001 Memorial Boulevard in Kingsport. Responding Officers determined that the crash involved a passenger car and a motorcycle and had resulted in a fatality.

Crash Investigators from the K.P.D. Traffic Unit have responded to the scene and are in the process of a thorough reconstruction analysis of the collision. While no additional details are available at this time, further information regarding this incident will be released at an appropriate point, pending the completion of the investigation and notification of next of kin.

Traffic is still flowing along Memorial Boulevard; however, it is periodically becoming congested. For the time being, motorists are encouraged to avoid the area and plan an alternate route so as to avoid unnecessary delays. Motorists already in the immediate area are encouraged to be alert, exercise caution and patience, and obey all traffic instructions.